Amber Birtcil Dominates with Young Stars
All photos courtesy of Official Photographer Tina Fitch
Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. Temecula, Calif. The Eventing Championships at Galway Downs concluded today with the USEA Area VI Championships and Horse Trials show jumping phases.
Organizer Robert Kellerhouse summarized the entire competition – at all levels – as reflecting the sport of eventing at its best. “I’m very impressed,” he stated. “We saw really good riding and really nice horses in all the phases, and that was with some very tough courses out there. Eventing is best done with good preparation, good background and good experiences. What we saw this weekend makes me very excited for the future. It’s bright!”
Preliminary Champions – Amber Birtcil and Mississipi
Racking up three Area VI Championship victories, Amber Birtcil continued a strong season with Mississipi. The Northern California professional has had the 8-year-old Dutch Warmblood for two years and is prepping him for 3* next spring. They had two rails to spare over William Robertson’s show jumping course and used one to take the win on a 33.5.
“He is definitely very capable on the flat, and we’ve been fine tuning a lot of things,” Birtcil said. “It’s all really starting to come together.” Of cross-country, she said the courses, the footing and especially the horse were great. Careful show jumping instincts over a track that caught many off guard allowed them to maintain the lead, even with one rail.
A triple combination near the VIP Pavillon berm resulted in several knockdowns and a few refusals in this field and others. For Birtcil’s horses, however, “I think that caused them to take a good look and that made them jump it better and higher.”
Known for her gift in identifying and developing young horses, Birtcil had high praise for the Championships. “This has been great for the development of all the horses as they go up the levels. I thought the courses were great, and the show jumping atmosphere is so good as they go onto bigger things in life. With the beautiful jumps, the big arena with the flags and the berm, it creates a lot of energy. That makes it a great atmosphere for horses and riders.”
Olivia Keye and Chromatic Flyer, a 13-year-old Thoroughbred, jumped from 6th after dressage to Preliminary reserve champion on a 40.5. Megan McIver and Storm Dino, a 6-year-old Irish Sport Horse, are third on a 48.9.
Modified Champion – Erin Kellerhouse and Million Bitcoin
Galway Downs-based professional Erin Kellerhouse is thrilled with every phase of Million Bitcoin’s winning weekend. Sourced for her in Germany by James Alliston, the 8-year-old German Sport Horse started with a super dressage outing on a 23.8. Formerly a jumper, he initially found dressage challenging. “But suddenly I feel like he’s become a dressage horse in the last three months,” Kellerhouse shared. Coaching from Jo Moran and Donna Weinberg helped accelerate their progress in this phase.
On cross-country, “I really pushed him for the first time and he responded so well,” Kellerhouse said. Ironically, in his strongest phase, show jumping, they knocked the first fence, but they had points to spare – winning on a 27.3. “I’m very excited about him for the future,” said Kellerhouse.
Izzabela Price and Juste Capitaine, an 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse, keep their 2nd place as reserve champions on a 29.7. Carson Vogt and Piran SC, an 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse, are third on a 41.8.
Modified/Training Champion – Amber Birtcil and Prince of Oolde
Nicknamed “Noodles,” the 5-year-old Dutch Warmblood, Prince of Oolde, started with a spectacular dressage effort on a 20.7. He ended on that with foot-perfect cross-country and show jumping. He prepped for the Championships by finishing reserve champion in the USEA’s 5-Year-Old West Coast Championship, earning the 3rd highest score in the country. Now, he’ll go home to Birtcil’s Cellar Farm in Northern California and enjoy a month off in the field.
Fellow professional Andrea Baxter finished reserve champion with MBF Dig Deep, another 5-year-old Dutch Warmblood, on a 33.7. And Valerie Ferraro and the 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse, Whats That Sportsfield, are third on a 35.1.
Training/Novice Champion – Amber Birtcil and Oxford
“He’s an over achiever in every way,” said Amber Birtcil of the Dutch Warmblood. So much so that a key stage of his development was spending much of last year out in a field to “grow up and develop.” That was after he won the 4-Year-Old West Coast Young Event Horse Championships. “When everything comes so easy to a horse, it’s easy to do too much with them,” the trainer explained. Birtcil got Oxford back into the show ring mid-year and confirmed that “having that time to take a breath can really pay off.”
Birtcil got the 6-year-old as a 3-year-old and knew from the beginning that he was a keeper. She admits she’d like to keep all the horses that come through her program but said she gets equal joy in seeing several of them excel for others as they get older.
Chloe Smyth and SR Myconos, an 8-year-old Warmblood Paint stallion, are reserve champions after moving up from 4th, on a 27.6, thanks to double clear in both jumping phases. Anastasia Keyser, DVM, and Wesley, an 8-year-old Hanoverian, entered in the lead, but two rails down left them in 3rd.
Senior Training Rider Champion – Isabella Rega and Blurred Lines
Nineteen-year-old Isabella Rega and Blurred Lines did not have an auspicious start this weekend. “He spooked and tried to buck me off,” she said of the 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse dressage start. They recovered well enough to finish on a 28.8. Then it was back to characteristic performances getting only a few time faults on cross-country to win with a 29.6. This pair also won this division at the US Eventing Association’s American Eventing Championships here in late August.
The Cal State Monterey Bay student rides with Sabrina Miller and plans to compete the handsome Paint at the same level until it’s time to turn him over to another young rider, and for her to move up on a new horse.
Arizona equine veterinarian Anastasia Keyser, DVM, and her own Bellatrix, an 8-year-old Appaloosa/Appendix Quarter Horse, are reserve champions with a 32.6.
Senior Novice Rider Champion – Fielding Neale and Picasso
Amber Birtcil’s young horses added a 4th Championship title when her rider Fielding Neale piloted Picasso, a 5-year-old Dutch Warmblood, to this victory. They got off to a good start with a 25.6 dressage to lead the division, even though the former show jumping rider is relatively new to dressage. Neale said she especially loves the cross-country phase of eventing – spending five minutes galloping over the terrain, versus 90 seconds in the show jumping ring. A mid-course refusal dropped them out of the lead, but they regained it with double clear show jumping.
Neale has been riding Picasso for five months and has worked for Birtcil for the past two years. This weekend’s win reaffirmed her newfound love for the eventing discipline.
Linda Culligan and Ma Belle Amie, a Thoroughbred mare, were leading until two show jumping rails slotted them into reserve.
Novice/Beginner Novice Champion – Katherine Robinson and Sippin and Kissin
Dodgers fan Katherine Robinson kept the World Series win high going by riding client Rebecca McClusky’s 6-year-old Thoroughbred to victory. They added just one show jumping rail to finish on a 29.3.
The Galway Downs-based professional came in confident. “I knew if he performed the way he’d been going lately, things would go well.” They dominated the division early, with a 25.3 dressage effort. The bold, confident, flaming red chestnut gave Robinson nothing to worry about over clear cross-country. Having a rail in hand came in handy in today’s final phase.
Robinson praised the split-level division as perfect for Sippin and Kissin. “I knew he was ready for more challenges in dressage and show jumping.” Sired by Stay Thirsty, Sippin and Kissin was bought off the track with the intent that his owner, McClusky, would ride him. Life events prevented her doing so recently, but Robinson says the horse is peaking in perfect time for her client to re-take the reins.
Sarah Bryan and Salazar are reserve champions on a 35.8 and Chelsea Mayon and Painted Princess are third on a 37.2.
Senior Beginner Novice Champion – Justin Flach and V Power AF Z
Justin Flach won this division in 2023 and, shortly after that, “I got serious and realized how serious this sport is.” A new eventer then, he was determined to get better and that involved taking some steps backward. “We had a bit of a rough year, but working with my trainer Olivia Putrino, we focused on me locking in on a few things to become a more complete rider.”
Getting a more established equine partner has helped, too. V Power AF Z is a 9-year-old Zangersheide gelding who came with some show jumping and Training level eventing experience. “He’s a very willing horse,” said Flach. “You get him near a jump and he’ll jump it.”
Leading after dressage was a first for Flach. “I’ve never had a wire-to-wire win and I asked my friends not to talk to me about it all weekend. I told myself that it was about having a good ride in each phase.”
Flach is excited for next year. He and the new horse have only been together for four months, so they may be refining things at this level or moving up. “I trust my trainer and she’ll let me know!”
Jessica Butorac and Ready Freddy, a 16-year-old Thoroughbred, are reserve champions and Ava DeWitt and Tsar Saltan, 9-year-old Thoroughbred, finished in 3rd.
Junior Beginner Novice Champion – Sierra Lynessa Leigh and #Iwokeuplikethis
The 17-year-old Palomino Haflinger is, indeed, a head-turner worthy of her cute name, #Iwokeuplike this. She’s also a great ambassador for the sport. As a school horse in Ashley Shrader’s Total Equestrian Experience program, the mare has introduced several students to dressage and eventing.
Sierra Lynessa Leigh is 16 and very happy to end her partnership with the schoolmaster on such a high note. She will likely move up on a new horse now that “I’m hooked on eventing!” thanks to the mare helping her have a great first year in the discipline.
They started with a 29.1 dressage score, flew faultlessly over cross-country and nailed the win with clear show jumping. Success in the later phase was a special milestone because it came after a recent serious fall – from a different horse. “That was a big mental obstacle to get over,” noted Leigh’s trainer.
Skye Kahenjoo and Constantine Stanislavsky, an 8-year-old Holsteiner, started in 2nd and stayed there on a 36.6.
Beginner Novice – Starter Championship – Allyson Hartenburg and MBF Longford
MBF Longford, a Connemara/Irish Sport Horse cross, is getting off to a great start with the Santa Ynez, Calif-based professional, said his owner, Deborah Finn, of the 5-year-old. In dressage, “Waffles” was slightly off his game in the electric atmosphere, earning a 27.8. He breezed over his first Galway Downs cross-country track and overcame a first-fence stutter in show jumping to finish with an elegant clear round.
Finn is a lifelong eventer. She’s grateful to Hartenburg’s horsemanship and good work with Waffles and looks forward to tackling the Starter division with him next year.
Senior Starter Championships – Cynthia Allen Lapp and Ruby Pearl
“Now that was fun!” exclaimed Cynthia Allen Lapp after leading the victory lap in this division. Her 5-year-old gray Quarter Horse mare “is my COVID baby,” explained Lapp, who is one of Galway Downs’ ever-present volunteers throughout the year.
She enjoyed being in the well-earned spotlight, especially because it was only their 6th competition together. Dressage got off to a disappointing start, with a 35.3, in part because Ruby was neighing to a barnmate and friend also in the division. That left them in a close tie for second, with optimum cross-country times likely the deciding factor until their friendly foe had a rail and Ruby jumped clean.
Allison Hurton and the aptly-named Chunk Norris, a 13-year-old POA, were reserve champions on a 35.7. Sara Bayles and Plain Bagel HE, a 12-year-old Sport Pony, were 3rd on a 38.7.
Junior Starter Championships – Sierra Clayton and Pancake
Sierra Clayton was ecstatic over the win with the 7-year-old Hackney Pony, Pancake. “Just to be here is amazing,” Clayton said. She described Pancake as a “TikTok rescue pony” who arrived at coach Sabrina Miller’s program with very little training. They’ve been together for a year and four months and “he’s my baby and I love him!” His teeth and hooves reflected neglect when he came to the barn and “he was a nervous wreck,” Clayton explains. “So, the fact that we’re here is just amazing.”
Clayton is grateful to be a student of Miller’s Riding Academy in Central California’s Salinas. “She’s the best trainer ever!”
Stablemate Supriya Borgert and Bayside Boulevard, a 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse, finished as reserve champions
Thank You Sponsors!
The Eventing Championships were made possible by our generous sponsors.
Presenting Sponsors: CWD, Devoucoux. Adequan i.m.
Silver Medal Sponsors: ProElite Horse Feeds, Nutrena Animal Feeds, Southern California Equestrian Sports
Bronze Medal Sponsors: Auburn Labs, Cheval Insurance Services, Shires Equestrian, RevitaVet Therapy Systems, Scott Equipment, Majyk Equine, LA Equestrian
Lodging Partners: STAY Kentina, Temecula Creek Inn, Ponte Vineyard Inn
